Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Why do people support assisted suicide?

A recent Angus Reid poll found that 80% of Canadians support legalizing assisted suicide.

My first response is related to the way the poll was done. This is an online poll.

The Angus Reid poll leads me to ask the question, why do people support doctor-assisted suicide?

Previous polling that the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) did found that most people support assisted suicide because they fear dying in pain or
experiencing uncontrolled symptoms. Susan Eng, a spokesperson for CARP stated:

"What they're actually telling (us) is they're afraid of a bad death. They're afraid that when the end comes and it gets ugly, that they're in terrible pain or lose all their dignity, that they don't have a way out. More emphasis needs to be put on palliative care"

Further to that, the
Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care (PCPCC) released their
report - Not to be Forgotten - in November 2011. That report identified
areas within end-of-life care, elder abuse and suicide prevention, that
would enable a greater level of care and support for all Canadians.

The real answer is to care for the needs of Canadians who are
living with terminal conditions, chronic pain or disabilities; rather than
legalizing physician assisted suicide, that ends the life of the person
rather than helping a person live until they die.